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Schoffel column: Pruitt’s quick exit won’t derail Seminoles

Well, you can say one thing for this generation of college football coaches — there’s no need to waste money on cakes or cards when they skip town.

On Tuesday afternoon, about 53 weeks after he arrived in Tallahassee to take over as Florida State’s defensive coordinator, Jeremy Pruitt already was on to the next one; Georgia Bulldogs coach Mark Richt announced he had tabbed Pruitt to take the same position in Athens.

I’m not entirely sure Pruitt ever unpacked here, but it was quite the ride.

Soon after accepting Jimbo Fisher’s offer to leave Alabama, Pruitt made an immediate impact on the recruiting trail, getting blue-chip prospects Demarcus Walker and Jalen Ramsey to back out of previous commitments to other schools.

Walker was committed to Alabama, if you recall, before announcing he was following Pruitt to FSU. And Ramsey was originally heading to Southern Cal before Pruitt swayed him to the Seminoles.

If that was Pruitt’s way of making a good first impression, he certainly succeeded. Ramsey started every game as a true freshman on arguably the nation’s best defense, and Walker played in 12 games while starting three.

But it was Pruitt’s work on the field that truly won FSU fans over. While many originally were skeptical about Fisher’s decision to hire a first-time defensive coordinator when the Seminoles were playing at such a high level under former defensive coordinator Mark Stoops, it didn’t take Pruitt long to prove he belonged. The Seminoles had a couple of rough patches early, as Pruitt and his staff figured out which 11 players needed to be on the field together, but from then on his defense was lights out.

And while they had several better games statistically, the 2013 FSU defense’s signature moment will be what it did last week in the national championship game — keeping Auburn’s high-powered offense in check during the second and third quarters, while Jameis Winston and company regrouped and mounted a comeback.

Now, 14 victories and one national title later, Pruitt is on the move again. And the Seminoles are starting over on defense.

Or are they?

While Pruitt’s decision to leave FSU for what would seem like a lateral move — at best — took folks by surprise, it’s hardly going to be a devastating blow to the Seminoles’ program. Part of the reason Florida State’s defensive players were able to adapt to their new schemes and techniques so quickly this season was the fact that two other first-year assistants were well-versed in that system.

Sal Sunseri, who handles Florida State’s defensive ends, coached with Pruitt on Nick Saban’s staff at Alabama. And Charles Kelly, who works with the Seminoles’ linebackers, coached a version of that defense when he was at Georgia Tech. So it wasn’t as if Pruitt was doing all of the heavy lifting by himself.

As Fisher figures out his next move, Sunseri and Kelly likely will both be considered for the defensive coordinator position — if they so desire. They both have experience running defenses, and they both have received rave reviews from players and others on campus since they arrived last year.

But the guess here is they will have plenty of competition for the job.

If there’s a more attractive defensive coordinator opening in the country, I can’t imagine what it is. Not only is the Seminoles’ roster loaded with NFL-caliber talent, but there’s something liberating about calling a defense when you know that your offense can put up gobs of points against anybody.

And while it’s true that the Seminoles will have to replace some key pieces from this sensational 2013 defense, there is every indication this freight train is going to keep rolling along. Of the 27 players who recorded at least 10 tackles this season, 18 will be returning in 2014.

And youngsters like Ramsey and Ronald Darby, Mario Edwards Jr. and P.J. Williams appear to be on the verge of stardom.

I can’t tell you exactly why Jeremy Pruitt decided to leave Tallahassee for Athens after just 12 months — although a $300,000-$350,000 raise would be a good place to start. It’s obviously not an idea situation for FSU, just a few weeks before National Signing Day. The guy was an excellent coach and recruiter, and no program wants to lose a quality coach.

But when it’s all said and done, I have a feeling this move will have a more profound effect on Georgia’s struggling defense than it will on Florida State’s highly successful unit. The Bulldogs will get better, but that doesn’t mean the Seminoles automatically get worse.

And who knows? Maybe Pruitt will actually stay around Athens long enough to score a card and some cake.